Does anyone remember asking a question and taking the answer at face value.
A lady came to live near us when I was about 4 or 5, she had blonde hair and very white skin, when I asked who she was I was told she was a White Russian so I asked what the other Russians were I was told they were Red, so I just assumed if she was White the others were coloured Red. Didn't realise I was dopey until years later.

At age 4 or 5 I think we all took things at face value. my brother and I used to ask our Mum her age. For quite a few years she was 21, then 27 for a while. After that we were old enough to work out the truth.

We lived in a "four-in-a-block" in Carrick Knowe, Edinburgh. My father used to tell a story about a very posh woman who lived above ours. Apparently, she spoke with a Morningside accent. Her lawn, to the side of the house was sowewhat threadbare, and she took herself to the local ironmongers to purchase some grass seed to make the necessary repairs.

Hibee wrote:We lived in a "four-in-a-block" in Carrick Knowe, Edinburgh. My father used to tell a story about a very posh woman who lived above ours. Apparently, she spoke with a Morningside accent. Her lawn, to the side of the house was sowewhat threadbare, and she took herself to the local ironmongers to purchase some grass seed to make the necessary repairs.

A couple of weeks later, up came a fine crop of cress.

I never did find out whether this was a true story.

Hibee

Greetings from NZ.

Question - What would be used in your area as a rejuvenating 'green' to be dug in, and composted, before planting a 'new' lawn. It's not uncommon, down under, to plant land cress or mustard seed. Had a fast growing 'green' been mistakenly sown at the same time as lawn grass seed, the grass seed would have been smothered.

In this case I don't think it is a case of rejuvinating the ground but a simple case of how one spoke !
I.E. ones accent.
Asking for grass with an affected accent resulting in GRASS / CRESS, if I am picking up Hibee's intent here.

I remember my mother discussing a neighbour who had obviously upset her equilibrium somewhat, giving rise to my mother's somewhat dramatic statement that the next time she met this neighbour she would "spit in her eye". Always with the potential to be a little bit of a rebel ( I was about four or five at this time),, this filled me with anticipation for a future meeting. Not too long after, my sister and I were with my mother when she indeed did meet up with this neighbour in the street and stopped for a natter. She wasn't spitting quickly enough for my liking so at one point I tugged on her sleeve and having gained the attention of both adults, enquired respectfully when exactly my mother was going to spit in Mrs.xxxxx eye. A very short silence ensued before hurried farewells were made and I felt my feet may never touch the ground again, such was my mother's momentum in hastening a return to home. My mother was a quiet , pleasant lady who wouldn't say boo to a moose so I really felt she was excelling herself with this promise of spitting in the street...and indeed directing it at somebody's eye....took me a while to get over the disappointment!!!

I was a bit older than the previous posters, but obviously just as naive. We were going on a trip with the class, and were paying money in over a few weeks. Sixpence a week I think it was. The teacher said, "Ann you didn't bring your sixpence in today!" I went home and mentioned it to Mum, and she said, (as Mothers were wont do do) "Oh tell him he's had that!" I went back to school and passed this message on to the teacher. He just smiled and said "Oh is that right?" I went on the trip, but have no idea if the teacher ever got that last owing sixpence.